Around Maryland

Emma Eckert, 20, dreams of landing a job as a teacher in the Howard County Public School System after graduating with her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Salisbury University. Looking to gain hands-on classroom experience before entering the workforce, she took jobs as a substitute teacher in the school system during her summer and winter breaks. Since the school system announced that it is providing its substitute teachers with a 25% pay increase, Eckert said she will be able to save the money she needs to start her career as a teacher more quickly.

Chris Kinney, a resident of Rapides Parish in central Louisiana, has seen his electricity disconnected eight times in the past two years for falling behind on his energy bills to Cleco Power. His family did everything they could think of to catch up: pawning possessions, accumulating vast bank overdraft fees, borrowing money and applying for energy assistance. Somehow, Kinney’s outstanding balance kept growing.

The City of Annapolis will host several major events in the downtown area between March and May that will attract visitors from across the state—putting pressure on the city’s limited parking spaces, according to city officials. The event list includes the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade, which will take place between March 25–26. Then the city will host an African Diaspora event on April 2.

Escalating a campaign to defend Keith Davis Jr., activist DeRay Mckesson began posting videos Monday with excerpts of courtroom testimony to pressure State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby to drop the murder charges against the Baltimore man. With Davis’ fifth trial on the same murder charges — and sixth criminal trial stemming from the same day in 2015 — expected in May, Mckesson’s nonprofit Campaign Zero published online the first of what he said will be a series of videos bucking Maryland rules on broadcasting trial testimony.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and Maryland Secretary of State John C. Wobensmith are warning residents about the potential for charity scams from people posing as workers with organizations helping the Ukraine. Both recommended Marylanders research charities through sites such as Charity Navigator to see if there are any red flags. “Scam artists seek every opportunity possible to prey on the generosity of well-intended donors,” said Wobensmith. “If you choose to give to help relieve the pain and suffering in Ukraine, please be vigilant and donate wisely to reputable, well-established charities.”

Will violence interrupters work in Prince George’s County? On Feb. 28, Prince George’s County announced a multi-pronged approach aimed at reversing the increase in the number of violent crimes committed by kids. While the problem isn’t just unique to the county, leaders are hopeful that a collective of intervention efforts will have an impact by targeting kids before they commit crimes. County Executive Angela Alsobrooks announced one of the newest tools used in the fight: a violence prevention task force.

Joanie Gulden will do about anything to get Glen Burnie Park Elementary School students to engage with math. Anything. Gulden ate a pig’s foot. She got covered in slime. She tackled these and other fun (and gross) challenges to encourage students to practice and improve. For this dedication, and the results she and the school have seen, Guilden is among those being recognized as the best in the country by President Joe Biden through the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

As the word “normal” starts creeping back into everyone’s vocabulary, the Ride On bus in Montgomery County, Maryland, is starting to operate more normally as well. Beginning March 13, Ride On will increase its service by returning routes along with increasing the frequency of its current routes. The bump in service will bring Ride On to 86% of its pre-pandemic level of operations.